From what I can find, Pauline was married (to a Borghese) in November of '03, so she wouldn't have been eligible for George. That said, Napoleon could have anticipated the offer and prevented her marriage into minor Italian royalty.

I quite like it so far...although it seems (at the moment) that there won't be the entire "Robert E. Lee is America's Prince Albert" that can crop up when discussing an American monarchy.

I can't help but think that with America having gotten a King before the French got rid of theirs that there should be some butterflies in the French Revolution. For instance, with the Americans in the process of adopting a king, Louis XVI might have been less anxious about what the Estates-General might do and might well have supported the Third Estate in its demand that the Estates meet and vote together (as was already the case in a number of provincial assemblies). It would not take much in the way of butterflies to have affected the course of the French Revolution. (For example, Louis XVII and his mother Marie-Antoinette might be living in exile in Vienna, if you don't wish to disturb what you've already written.)

From what I can find, Pauline was married (to a Borghese) in November of '03, so she wouldn't have been eligible for George. That said, Napoleon could have anticipated the offer and prevented her marriage into minor Italian royalty.

Yep, in this time line Napoleon doesn't marry Pauline to Camillo Borghese, and instead sends her to America to meet the young George II.

I can't help but think that with America having gotten a King before the French got rid of theirs that there should be some butterflies in the French Revolution. For instance, with the Americans in the process of adopting a king, Louis XVI might have been less anxious about what the Estates-General might do and might well have supported the Third Estate in its demand that the Estates meet and vote together (as was already the case in a number of provincial assemblies). It would not take much in the way of butterflies to have affected the course of the French Revolution. (For example, Louis XVII and his mother Marie-Antoinette might be living in exile in Vienna, if you don't wish to disturb what you've already written.)

Hm... perhaps. Truthfully, I hadn't really thought about how, if at all, the founding of an American monarchy would have affected the early stages of the French Revolution.

-----------------------------The American Monarchy: 1807-1808James Madison took control of a Senate in 1807 that was divided in every way but one: the war; Madisonís desire to undo Hamiltonís economic reforms would have to take a back-seat. Except for the small High Royalist party, the entire Senate now approved of war with Britain and her Indian allies. And, contrary to the deluded hopes of many High Royalists, Madison had no plans to pursue peace. In April of 1807, the Senate overwhelmingly passed the Defense of Union Act, a set of laws further increasing the size of the army and navy, as well as outlawing all trade with the British. The Defense of Union Act passed 122-0, as the entire High Royalist bloc had refused to attend the vote in protest. On April 23rd, the Royal Council approved King Georgeís request for a declaration of War on Great Britain, by a vote of 13-4. On April 30th, the Senate approved an alliance with France, by a vote of 122-0. War had begun.

Immediately after the declaration of war, Britain blockaded the American coast. The Royal Union Navy was able to partially repulse them, as most of the British fleet was tied up in Europe and years of investment had improved the young Royal Union Navy, but the British were still able to wreak havoc on most of Americaís shipping. To counter this, the Senate authorized the hiring of hundreds of privateers to counter-attack Britainís own shipping in the Atlantic and Caribbean. George II, in a speech before the Senate and his generals, laid out the three goals of the war:1) The speedy conquest of Canada2) The conquest of hostile Native tribes allied to the British 3) The disruption of British trade in the Caribbean and Atlantic, to aid Napoleonís war effortMeanwhile, the British had adopted a defensive strategy. They were far outnumbered by the Americans, and would be unable to send large numbers of troops to reinforce Canada until 1808.

The easiest way to secure control of Canada was through the conquest of Montreal, cutting the British lines of communication. However, support for the war in New England was not strong. Georgeís other option was an invasion of the West, where Americans were enthused about the prospects of war. George II saw this as a wasteful strategy, one that wouldnít accomplish his countryís goals. King George II took control of the Royal Kingís Army, and amassed a large contingent of American troops and militia in Plattsburg, New York. General Henry Dearborn was appointed commander of the Northeastern Royal Army, stationed at Fort Niagara and Buffalo. Finally, George II ordered Brigadier General William Hull, also Governor of Michigan territory, to take command of the Northwestern Royal Army, and fortify Fort Detroit. George II issued a proclamation to territorial governors giving them free rein to use their militias to fight hostile, pro-British Natives (though, in the eyes of many western governors, all Natives were hostile). Meanwhile, ďWarhawksĒ in the Senate, led by the young Whig-Republican Henry Clay, pushed through the Conscription Act with the help of Secretary of State Monroe, by a vote of 103 to 20. This effectively established a draft throughout the United States.

Conscription took months, forcing George II to delay his assault on Canada until 1808. Meanwhile, he had become estranged from his wife, Pauline. She had failed to give him any heirs or children who survived long past infancy and the young, passionate love between them had all but disappeared. There were rumors throughout Washington that Pauline was engaged in a number of affairs while her husband was with troops in New York. She had even allegedly been seen with former Prime Minister Hamilton. George II, when he heard these rumors, was furious, but he had more pressing matters to attend to. In the winter of 1807, George II met with Alexander Hamilton in New York. The former Prime Minister was still highly respected by High Royalists throughout the country, especially in New England and New York. George II convinced Hamilton to put aside their disagreements and do what was best for the country. Hamilton put his duty to king and country above his political wishes, and agreed to come out in support of the war. He traveled to New England and roused support for the war, arguing that temporary trade losses would eventually be out-weighed by the resources and trade routes America would secure in Canada.

Throughout the winter and spring of 1808, skirmishes had occurred at Fort Maiden and Fort Erie, though neither British nor Americans were able to push very far into each otherís territory. George II was preparing his advance for the summer, and British troops had still not arrived in Canada. Unbeknownst to George II at the time, the British were preparing to invade Spain and Portugal, and they assumed that the Americans would stick to minor skirmishes. The British however, thought wrong, and in August of 1808, as Wellesley landed in Portugal, George II had already crossed the Canadian border.

American War PlansWith King George II's forces in blue, Henry Dearborn's forces in red, and William Hull's forces in green.

In terms of the succession, you might look to have George Washington succeeded by the descendants of his aunt, Sarah Haynie nee Ball (mother's sister). She would have to be grandfathered into the Royal Family (born 1778), but she has living descendants even today (myself among them, though too far down a series of female lines to be relevant to the succession assuming continued male primogeniture). I believe at the time of George Washington's death she was his closest blood relative (and only her children were also his blood relatives).

I hope I'm not getting the family tree confused. I have it on a computer, but not this one.

In terms of the succession, you might look to have George Washington succeeded by the descendants of his aunt, Sarah Haynie nee Ball (mother's sister). She would have to be grandfathered into the Royal Family, but she has living descendants even today (myself among them, though too far down a series of female lines to be relevant to the succession assuming continued male primogeniture). I believe at the time of George Washington's death she was his closest blood relative (and only her children were also his blood relatives).

In April of 1808, George II left New York City for Plattsburg, and, incidentally, Pauline found out that she was pregnant a few weeks later 1. George II took his wifeís good news to heart when he crossed the Canadian border in June of 1808. His 10,000-man-strong army would move North up Lake Champlain, leading them straight to Montreal. Meanwhile, the British defending Lower Canada were badly outnumbered. The first battle of the war occurred near Chateaugay, New York. Around 500 Canadian militia and Native warriors fought George IIís army. The Canadian militia broke easily, and George marched on Northward. The first easy battle raised the spirits and the morale of his forces, who had been forced to make camp for months by this point.

Hearing of the easy rout of his militia, Sir James Henry Craig decided to fortify Montreal. Craig was the both the Governor General of the Canadas, and Lieutenant Governor of Lower Canada. While Quebec was the capital of his province, he had decided to move his military command to the further south city of Montreal, where, he had figured, he would be more able to effectively command the war effort in both Canadian provinces. By 1808, Craig was in his sixties, and hadnít seen battle in many years. He had sent Brigadier General Isaac Brock to fortify Upper Canada and relay orders, while he himself would hold off the Americans from advancing north. By summer of 1808, George IIís army had reached Montreal. Unable to take the fortified city by force, he instructed his army to lay siege.

In June of 1808, General Dearborn crossed the Canadian border, and took the unfinished Fort Erie without a fight. He instructed his militia units (many of which refused to move further into Canada) to reinforce the fort and use it as a base of supplies. Dearborn then moved further north, until he met General Isaac Brock, who had hurriedly led a force of troops south from Lower Canada, rendezvousing with Loyalist militias and Native allies along the way. Despite his reinforcements, Brock was still outnumbered. The two armies met at the Battle of Cooksville, a few miles south of York. The British forces were tired and had little time to put up fortifications of any kind. The British regulars broke first, as the Americans took the center. The Loyalist militia, however, held out much longer, eventually retreating into the woods, and continuing on harassment of the marching American troops.

General Dearborn was soon upon York. General Brock had done his best to fortify the city after the Battle of Cooksville, but the defendersí situation was still less than ideal. American naval forces under Isaac Chauncey had won a number of small naval engagements on Lake Ontario, and were now bringing forces across the lake from New York for an amphibious attack on York. On July 2nd, 1808, the Battle of York had begun. Commodore Chaunceyís forces were a handful of brigs and corvettes, supported by 15 schooners. He landed forces four kilometers north-east of York. As Americans were disembarking on the Canadian shore, General Dearbornís men moved north. The British had a number of forts and artillery pieces in the area, but their bombardment was ineffective. By mid-day, Dearborn had won a number of skirmishes, and Chauncey was bombarding the cityís fortifications. Despite all this, General Brock refused to retreat, and the charismatic 38-year-old General rallied his forces for a frontal attack on Dearborn. He ordered his riflemen and Native auxiliaries to stall the Americans coming from the North. The battle between Brock and Dearbornís forces lasted for hours, going back and forth between the two sides. Eventually, news reached Brock that the northern American forces were advancing on the city. He ordered a retreat, and took his regular troops north. Meanwhile, the militias were sent back to York, to surrender the town to the Americans. Dearbornís forces marched into the city that evening, but a few hundred militiamen, former American Loyalists who had moved to Canada, refused to surrender the city. They ambushed Dearbornís column. In the ensuing chaos, General Dearborn was mortally wounded. Disorganized and leaderless, the Americans engaged in a chaotic city fight with the Loyalists until the next day. During the night battle, a young artillery captain by the name of Winfield Scott had assumed command of a good number of Americans, and by mid-day on the 3rd of July he had assumed command of the city. Winfield Scott immediately took it upon himself to begin fortifying the city, until Brigadier General Jacob Brown arrived with New York militia reinforcements and took command of Montreal two weeks later.

On the warís third front, things did not go as well for the Americans. General William Hull advanced into Canada in September, taking Fort Maiden after a quick siege. He met Upper Canadaís Lieutenant Governor Francis Gore along the Thames River in May, and on May 27th, 1808, the First Battle of the Thames took place. General Hull advanced cautiously, beginning battle with the defending Canadians in the early morning. By midday, General Hullís troops had begun to gain the upper hand, when he heard word from scouts of a large Native army gathering to the west. Afraid that they would flank his army and slaughter them, General Hull ordered a retreat. As his army began to pull away, roughly 500 natives hit his left flank. Hullís army, poorly trained in comparison to Dearbornís or the Kingís armies, fled the battlefield in a disorderly rout. General Hull was captured in the ensuing chaos, and eventually scalped and killed.

His army of the Northwest regrouped and retreated to Fort Detroit, where they built further fortifications and set up camp for the winter. King George II received word of Hull and Dearbornís fates as he besieged Montreal. He promoted Jacob Brown to Major General and commanding General of the North-Eastern Army (Captain Winfield Scott was also promoted for his valor and service, and reassigned to Sackettís Harbor, where he was to build up forces for an assault across Lake Erie on Kingston). George II appointed Indiana Territory Governor William Henry Harrison commanding General of the North-Western Army. Harrison had been largely successful in brutally crushing a number of tribes in his territory since the beginning of the war, and had shown his natural abilities as a commander 2.

1Some will also point out that Alexander Hamilton left New York City the day after George II did, and to this day there persist conspiracies that Hamilton was the true father of the child, though most serious historians have dismissed these rumors. 2Harrison was able to conquer approximately 3 million acres from tribes in Ohio and Indiana through the Treaty of Fort Wayne. After the signing of the treaty in 1807, he led militia troops against dissenting Shawnee, killing two important leaders of the tribe, who were incidentally brothers, by the names of Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa.

On January 4th, 1809, Pauline gave birth to Maria Rachel Custis Washington. PrincessMaria was a healthy baby girl, but Queen Pauline would die during childbirth.

When the New Year began on January 1st, 1809, the situation for the British looked bleak. Already, thousands of loyalists who had immigrated to Canada after the Revolutionary War were fleeing to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. On December 21st, 1808, James Henry Craig had died in Montreal, and three days later, after a six-month-long siege, Montreal surrendered. George II ordered the British regulars disbanded and confiscated the weapons of militia and Natives. Both sides had taken bitter losses from food shortages and the fierce Winter, but George still had his army more or less intact, while the northern-most British army in Lower Canada was now disbanded. American forces were also in effective control of the land around Lake Ontario (except for the remaining British stronghold of Kingston).

The British, by the start of 1809, had effectively given up on retaining Lower and Upper Canada, as defeating Napoleon in Spain had become a much more pressing concern. Unwillingly to completely give in though, British government officials formed a plan to stall the Americans. Using pro-British, anti-war sentiment in New England to their advantage, they contacted a number of High Royalist politicians, including Senators Harrison Gray Otis and Chauncey Goodrich. Britain offered supplies, money and Loyalist militia from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia if the Senators Otis and Goodrich led similar-minded men in an attempt at secession. Early victories had dulled anti-war sentiment among much of the general population, but the seeds of a rebellion had nevertheless been sewn. When about thirty men (all of them High Royalist politicians, most of them Senators) met in Hartford, Connecticut in February of 1809, they agreed to gather arms and forcibly take control of the states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, and then secede from the Union1.

On March 1st, 1809, a group of two-hundred men, led by Senator George Cabot stormed the capitol building and executed Governor James Sullivan. Simultaneous ďrevolutionsĒ occurred in Connecticut and Rhode Island. High Federalist papers, which had a near monopoly on most of the press printed in the region, had been told the night before to print stories extolling the virtues of this new, glorious revolution (as well as drastically inflating the number of rebels there actually were). It had been the rebels plans that people would rise up in support of the revolutionaries, and, with the help of Canadian loyalists coming through Maine, they would be able to hold on to control. This was far from the truth.

Alexander Hamilton, who had been touring New England drumming up support for the war, upon hearing the news, took control of a local regiment of Massachusetts militia, and marched to Boston. On March 3rd, they arrived in Boston, and a bitter battle broke out on cityís streets. Half-way through the battle, former-Prime Minister was hit by a stray bullet above his right hip. The bullet ricocheted off his rib, damaging his diaphragm and liver. He collapsed to the ground instantly and dropped his weapon. Local Bostonians, seeing their former (beloved) Prime Minister, rushed into the streets, falling upon the rebels. By the afternoon of March 3rd, all the rebels had been killed or arrested, and the body of Alexander Hamilton had been carried to a local church, where he died the next morning2.

The news of Hamiltonís death soon spread across the country, and Americans were rallied together more than ever. General Harrison led his forces east in April, crushing a British army at the Second Battle of the Thames, and capturing Lieutenant Governor Francis Gore. By May, Harrison reached York. Jacob Brown and William Henry Harrison marched their forces north, to siege the town of Kingston. Kingston was the final holdout in Upper Canada. As American troops neared the city, a British envoy approached them: General Brock had surrendered, and British forces in Canada had effectively been defeated3.

1The rebellion would later be known as the March First Treason.2Hamilton was buried in New York city. Gouverneur Morris, George Clinton, and Aaron Burr gave eulogies at his funeral. Alexander Hamilton would be remembered with high regard throughout the Union, not only as the first Prime Minister, but as a patriot who gave his life for his country.3A guerilla war would continue for another five years, as Loyalists and Natives harassed American forts and troops.--------------------In the next update: the war officially ends, the election of 1811, and the rise of a new political party and the death of another.

In terms of the succession, you might look to have George Washington succeeded by the descendants of his aunt, Sarah Haynie nee Ball (mother's sister). She would have to be grandfathered into the Royal Family, but she has living descendants even today (myself among them, though too far down a series of female lines to be relevant to the succession assuming continued male primogeniture). I believe at the time of George Washington's death she was his closest blood relative (and only her children were also his blood relatives).

How accessible is such information? Is it on the internet?

You might be able to find bits and pieces of it. My grandfather was huge on genealogy, so we have my mother's side of the family throughly mapped centuries back, even in England before the 1600s. I think he did it mostly by researching birth, death and marriage certificates in places where the family was known to have lived.

If I find the family tree or can get it from my parents, I'll post more about Sarah Haynie and her relatives; I remember that the Blackburns were a prolific family, and that Elizabeth Blackburn had something like thirteen children, then the one of those I'm descended from had another houseful of children, and on for three or four generations before a Blackburn girl marries a Gough and branches off towards my family. That provides a very large family from which to draw royalty.

King George II had arrived in Washington in February of 1809, to welcome his new daughter, and say goodbye to his deceased wife. The loss of Alexander Hamilton in March also weighed heavily upon the 28-year-old monarch. He unofficially abdicated his responsibilities as commander in chief, though by March of 1809 the British had been all but defeated anyway. The surrender of General Brock in June was the first good news the King heard in many months. He asked Prime Minister Madison to emissaries from the government to Britain to negotiate a peace. Many Americans, particularly in the west, clamored for further expansion: the conquest of Rupertís land, an invasion of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and an invasion of Spanish territory. James Madison outright refused to fund further military action, angering war hawks in his party. Senator Thomas Jefferson and Deputy Prime Minister Aaron Burr left for the remainders of British North America in September of 1809, and by March 1810, the Treaty of Halifax had been signed. The treaty relinquished control of Upper and Lower Canada to the United States, as well as ended the British blockade of the American coast.

The treaty was ratified 83 to 37. Royalists and Whig-Republicans supported the treaty (along with the remaining High Royalists, most of whom had been killed or executed after the March First Treason; by the end of the Congressional term all remaining High Royalist senators had resigned in disgrace), but war hawks, led by the charismatic young Henry Clay countered that America was surrendering to the British right as they had the opportunity to gain control of the continent. War hawks had expected at least the concession of Florida or various other British colonies. The war hawks saw the signing the treaty as signing a way a perfect opportunity for expansion. Henry Clay contemplated splitting from the Whig-Republican party and forming his own party, but he was talked out of it by other Senators. Another bill was passed unanimously after the ratification of the treaty, establishing a Quebec Territory and a Canada Territory (out of Lower and Upper Canada, respectively).

In August 1810, the Royalists put up a bill renewing the National Bankís charter. Royalists were ardently in favor of renewing ďHamiltonís BankĒ, as were the war hawks lead by Clay. But Clayís own Whig-Republican party was largely opposed to it. Prime Minister James Madison, while seeing the need for a National Bank after the war, was unable to convince a majority of his party. With numerous vacancies created by the resignation or deaths of all the High Republicans, the Whig-Republicans were effectively in control of the Senate. In the end, the bill renewing the National Bankís charter failed, by a close vote of 59 to 62. Henry Clay was outraged, but he refused to join the Royalists, who he, as a westerner, saw as elitist New Englanders. He announced in September the creation of the National Party, an expansionist, pro-military, pro-internal improvement party. The party fielded candidates throughout the country, focusing mostly on the western and southern states.

James Madison stated before the 1811 election that he would not run for re-election, opening the way for a new Whig-Republican to take control of the party. Despite the emergence of the National Party, the Whig-Republicans were able to claim a third straight victory, largely on their successful management of the war1. The High Royalists disappeared, unable to win a single race. Whig-Republicans were able to make gains in New England, as High Royalist, Royalist and National Party candidates split the anti-Whig-Republican vote. The Royalists lost most of their remaining Southern seats to the National Party.

On the first ballot, no candidate was able to claim victory, as the Whig-Republicans were split between a slew of candidates: Deputy Prime Minister Aaron Burr (NY), Secretary of State James Monroe (VA), and William H. Crawford (GA). Aaron Burr was the natural successor, but Crawford picked up the support of Southern Senators who hoped that a Prime Minister from the Deep South would lead to more success against the National Party in western and southern states. Meanwhile, anti-slavery Whig-Republicans, scared by Burrís brashness, flocked to Adams. Henry Clay was the natural leader of the National Party, while John Quincy Adams stepped down as Whig-Republican leader, replaced by the popular former-mayor of New York, DeWitt Clinton.

Realizing that he had no chance after coming in last, Crawford dropped out before the second ballot, endorsing Burr. Monroe (who had endorsed Burr before the first ballot) also called on his supporters to show party unity and vote for Burr.

The seats held by High Royalists. Most of the High Royalist senators were part of the rebellion, and were thus imprisoned or killed. The remainder of High Royalists resigned in disgrace after the majority of their party was shown to be traitors.

The seats held by High Royalists. Most of the High Royalist senators were part of the rebellion, and were thus imprisoned or killed. The remainder of High Royalists resigned in disgrace after the majority of their party was shown to be traitors.

But why are there still vacancies after the election? And what's with Georgia on the map?

Logged

Michael Bloomberg for President.

Lol Winfield. This quote is from a thread entitled "what do the following proceed to do if they are not nominated?"

The seats held by High Royalists. Most of the High Royalist senators were part of the rebellion, and were thus imprisoned or killed. The remainder of High Royalists resigned in disgrace after the majority of their party was shown to be traitors.

But why are there still vacancies after the election? And what's with Georgia on the map?

Ah, sorry. I copy/pasted from above and forgot to take that bit out. George's delegation is split 50-50: two National Party and two Whig-Republican.

I can't see the British abandoning Canada that quickly. Deciding to concentrate first on defeating Napoleon, I can see, but not abandoning Canada altogether. Or does your five year civil war imply that there wil be a Third Anglo-American War once Napoleon has been sent on his merry way to St. Helena or even Elba?

Prime Minister Aaron Burr came to power over a nation still recovering from three years of war. The country was also still divided over its position on the continent and in the world. King George II was still a close friend of Napoleon, and the two countries were still on friendly terms. But the realities of warfare meant that neither country could aid one another. At the same time, Henry Clay, as leader of the ascendant National Party, pushed for an invasion and annexation of Spanish Florida and a further buildup of forts and soldiers in newly acquired Canada. He warned that the continuing guerilla activities in the region would one day enable Britain to reacquire these territories.

Prime Minister Aaron Burr

Aaron Burr, while supportive of expansion, saw little support for continued warfare in his own party or the Royalist party. In November of 1811, John Quincy Adams (R-MA) and William Lowndes (N-SC) co-sponsored the Canada and Quebec Settlement Act, which would do a number of things to encourage settlement of the Canadian territories: 1) Land on the Canadian frontier would be sold at premium to American and European settlers alike; 2) Europeans immigrating to Canada and buying land would be given American citizenship after a period of one year; 3) the Federal Government would invest in internal improvements in Canada Territory and Quebec Territory, including roads and canals. Aaron Burr lead staunch opposition to the bill (primarily due to the third clause), but the Royalist and National parties were both firmly in support of it. A number of newly elected Northern Whig-Republicans , led by John Chandler of Massachusetts1, proposed a compromise that would gain their vote; a separate bill to be passed whose primary goal would be to quell the on-going guerilla violence in Canada Territory, a few miles away from their own states.

Adams and Lowndes worked together with Chandler to craft the Canadian Security Act of 1812. It called for the speedy admission of Canada and Quebec territory into the Union, reparations towards loyalists and Canadians who had been robbed of territory in the War of 1807 or the Revolutionary War, and laws formally protecting the rights of the French and Catholic majority in Quebec Territory and minority in Canada Territory. These measures were thought to be able to squelch the guerrilla violence in Canada. Finally in March of 1812, with the support of Northeastern Whig-Republicans, as well as the backing of the National and Royalist parties, the Canada and Quebec Settlement Act and the Canadian Security Act were passed (by votes of 75 to 63 and 81 to 57, respectively). In 1813, the Royal Council approved the entry of Louisiana (1 Senator), Ontario (1 Senator) and Quebec (8 Senators) as the 18th, 19th and 20th states.

After the loss of his wife and the loss of his good friend Alexander Hamilton, King George had retreated to his newly-built Arlington Palace. There he received correspondence from Napoleon, who complained of the American governmentís lack of courage in continuing the struggle against the British, though Napoleon made it clearly that he didnít blame George. Privately, Napoleon would later blame his defeat on the withdrawal of American forces in 1811, which, the petit corporal argued, allowed the British to focus on Europe and ultimately defeat him. Regardless of his French friendís misfortunes, George II soon involved himself in the aristocratic lives of rich Virginian plantation owners, returning to the Royal District only to hastily sign the occasional bill. He introduced his sister, Princess Eleanor, to William Henry Fitzhugh, son of William Fitzhugh, who lived in his Ravensworth Mansion, and rented another house in Alexandria to a poor widow, and relative of Fitzhugh, by the name of Anne Hill Lee. Eleanor would marry William H. Fitzhugh in August of 1813. The Fitzhugh family and the Lee family were quite close, and before long King George was introduced to Anne Hill Lee and her children, who often played together with Georgeís daughter, young Princess Maria.

Things went from bad to worse in France in 1814, and in February of 1814, Napoleon asked King George to allow his son to escape to exile in America. King George II grudgingly consented to his friendís wish, and in March of 1814, Napoleon Bonaparte II was secretly sent to the United States. In June of 1814, Napoleon was captured and later exiled to the island of Elba. Napoleonís defeat sent shock through much of the United States. Many in the Senate argued that the country should prepare for war, as Britain would surely try to regain her territories in Canada. The Royal Army Preparation Act was passed in September of 1814, with support from the Prime Minister as well as the National and Royalist party leaders, by a vote of 132 to 9, which called for the enlistment of five thousand more soldiers, as well as the strengthening of forts in Canada. Guerrilla attacks had died down somewhat since 1811, but there were still occasional skirmishes and raisings of settlements. King George II, however, wanted no part in another war, but his only bargaining chip was Napoleon II, and he couldnít betray his old friend. The year of 1814 ended with Americans rapidly preparing for war, and the National Party was able to capitalize on the impending war. While the Whig-Royalists ran on their War of 1807 credentials, the National Party criticized them for being dovish. The Royalist party concentrated on their northeastern strongholds as well as the new Canadian states, arguing that they, the party of Hamilton, were the only ones able and willing to defend the border states.

The result was a closely split election. The Royalists regained many of the seats they had lost in the Northeast in 1811. They also gained the majority of the new Canadian seats, and were able to pick up a handful of southern seats. The size of the Southern and Western states had grown monumentally since the last census, and the National Party was able to pick most of these newly created seats. They also competed in the Northeast for the first time, picking up a handful of seats (most notably 2 out of 4 seats in New Hampshire). Finally, the Whig-Republicans lost a number of their Northeastern seats and held on to only a few frontier seats. However, despite all this, none of the three parties was able to claim a majority.

1John Chandler had been a hero of the War of 1807, having led the Maine Militia in a number of battles. He was eventually captured by the British in 1810 and released at the warís end.2 After re-apportionment following the 1810 census.

I do hope that the King of Rome does not end up marrying into the House of Washington as well. The Houses of Washington and Bonaparte are already close enough and we do not need to imitate the bad example of Europe by having our royals marry their first cousins.